Gang cutter



June 5, 1951 J. M. WALTER GANG CUTTER Filed Sept. 29, 1948 6 E o 2-9. J1

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Patented Juneu 5, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT O FF I CE GANG CUTTER poration of Chio Application September 29, 1948, Serial'No. 51,735

(Cl. 29--9-7 l 6` Claims.

rI'his invention relates to a gang cutter, and

more particularly to gang cutters' for use in machine tools of the planer type. By machine tools of the planer type I mean to include all machine tools wherea piece of Work on a movable bed is moved past a stationary tool, thel work` moving either in a circular or an annular path.

Gang cutters of one sort or another have been used for many years, but the-re has never been available a gang cutter where the individual cutn ting bits were of a hard cutting material and were designed to be replaced when worn and ad justed periodically to present a new cutting face to the work.

Cutting bits are available made of some exceedingly hard cutting material such as tungstenv carbide, which bits are circular as to their cut'- ting face so that they may be periodically rotated about their axes to present a new cutting edge to their work.

The cutting bits mentioned above have been found to be very desirable because they havea much longer wear and additionally, they can be used for a longer time by periodic rotation about their axes. It is therefore an object of my invention to provide a gang cutter using circularface cutting bits.

It is another object of my invention to pro vide for the cutting bits, bit holders with respectv to which the bits may be rotated when it is desired to present a new cutting face to the work.

It is still another object of my invention to provide a holder for the bit holders wherein the bit holders are tightly clamped and oriented, and whereby the bits may be loosened axially so that they may be rotated if desired.

It is yet another object of my invention to provide means for adjusting the angularity of the tool holder with respect t the work to vary the size of cut which will be taken.

These and other objects of my invention, which I shall point out in more detail hereinafter, or which will appear to one skilled in the art as the description proceeds, I accomplish by that certain construction and arrangement of parts of which I shall now describe an exemplary embodiment. Reference is made to the drawings forming a part hereof and in which:

Figure 1 is a iront elevational View of a ma-n chine tool head showing particularly the clapper box, or the like, with my novel gang cutter in position.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the same as seen from the left of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 3 3 of' Figure l on an enlarged scale.

Figure 4 is a front elevational View taken from the right of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is an exploded View similar ot Figure 3 showing the relationship of the bits, bit holders and tool holder.

Figure is an exploded view of a bit and bit holder in cross-section, and

Figure 8 is a front elevational View of a bit holder as seen from the right of Figures 6 or 7, on an enlarged scale.

Briey, in the practice of my invention, I` provide a plurality of cutting bits and an equal number of bit holders, together with means for locating each bit with respect to its bit holder. I provide a member having a seat for the bit holders together with means for orienting the bit holders with respect to their seat, and means for clamping the bits and bit holders axially in position. The member which seats the bit holders is arranged for adjustment rotationally to vary the depth of cut.

Referring now in more detail to the drawings, I have shown a portion of a machine tool head at I0, and a conventional clapper box at II. The cl'apper box is provided with clamps I2 for clamping a conventional cutting tool in position. The tool, according to my invention, is provided with a shank I3 which is clamped to the clapper box in conventional manner.

Pivotally secured to the lower face of the shank I3 is a tool holder member indicated generally at I 4. The member I4 is secured to the thank I3 by means of a bolt I5 provided with a bearing sleeve I6 and threaded into the member I3, as best seen in Figure 3. The bolt I5 thus serves as a pivot point for the member Id with respect to the member I3.

A bolt I'I passes through an arcuate slot I8 in the member I3, and is threaded into the member I4, so that by loosening the bolt Il the member I4 may be pivoted slightly about the bolt I5 and clamped in a desired position oi adjustment by tightening the bolt l?. As best seen in Figure 4 an'index is preferably provided on the member I4 as indicated at I9. and a scale 2t may be provided on the shank I3. The calibrations may be, for example, le each so that if the index I9 is set opposite the fourth index to the right of zero on the scale 2d the displacement laterally between the iirst and last bits will be 1A and the depth of cut will be Vi. The tool holder member i4 is provided with a cylindrical seat 2| against which the external cylindrical surfaces of the bit holders 22 rest. A shoulder provided by the bar 23 which is bolted to the member I4 as at 24, interrupts the cylindrical surface to provide a shoulder 25.

The bit holders themselves, indicated at 22, have the cylindrical external surfaces 26 which match the surface 2|. The bit holders are also provided with the lips 2l which are adapted to engage the shoulder 25 to orient the bit holders with respect to the tool holder. One side of the bit holder has an angular configuration as at 28 for a purpose which will be described herein-tY after.

Each bit holder has an internal conical surface 29 and is provided with a bore 3Q. The bits themselves are of conventional form being frusto con'- ical in shape, and are indicated generally by reference numeral 3l. These bits generally have a counterbored aperture 32 therein.

To locate the bits with respect to their bit I holders I utilize the headed pins 33 having a shank engaging snugly in the bore 3@ of the bit holder and having a head 34 of a size to engage snugly in the bore 32 of the bit. Thus, as best seen in Figure 6, each bit 3l is located with respect to its bit holder 22 by means of a pin 33. In the condition shown in Figure 6 each bit 3l may be easily 'rotated on the head till.

In assembling the bit holders they are placed as shown in Figure 3 and clamped in place by means of two clamps. The first clamp, as best seen in Figures 4 and 5 comprises a plate 3b having a threaded hole 36 for a bolt 3l, passing through the member I4. The clamping plate 35 has a heel portion 3S which bears against the member 'i4 and the toe portion 39 having an angular tip t conform to the angularity 2S of the bit holders. It will be clear from a consideration of Figure that upon tightening the bolt 31 the toe 3S or"V the clamping plate 35 exerts an inward and upward component of clamping force so as to hold'the cylindrical outer surfaces of the bit holders tightly against the cylindrical'seat of the tool holder and to exert (as seen in FigureV 5) a clockwise turning movement to insure engagement of the lip 2l with the shoulder 25. Thus the clamping plate 35 when acted upon by the bolt 3l Orients and clamps all the bit holders against movement except in an axial direction.

The bits and bit holders are clamped axially by means of a second clamp indicated generally at 4t. This clamp has a portion 4i carrying a nose 42 of frusto conical conguration which is arranged to engage in the counterbored portion of the rst bit.Y An adjusting screw i3 is threaded through the clamp 49 and bearing against the member l serves as a fulcrum, and clamping pressure is produced by means of the bolt e@ threaded into the member lli. It will thus be clear that the ybits and bit holders are now tightly clamped in position. If it is desired to rotate the bits slightly to present a new cutting face, the bolt 44 andthe bolt 3l are slightly loosened, whereupon each bit 3l may be rotated with respect to its bit holder. The bolts it and 3l are again tightened and the bits are tightly clamped in their new position.

It will be clear that numerous modications may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention, I therefore do not intend to limit myself otherwise than as pointed out in the claims which follow.

Having now fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A gang cutter for machine tools of the planer type, comprising a plurality of cutting bits and an equal number of bit holders, means for locating said bits with respect to said bit holders, a member having a seat for said bit holders and provided with means for orienting said bit holders and means for clamping said bits and holders tightly in place, a shank for mounting said member and means pivotally mounting said member on said shank, and means for clamping said member in a desired position of rotation with respect to said shank.

2.` A gang cutter for machine tools of the planer type, comprising a plurality of frusto-conical cutting bits and an equal number of bit holders provided with matching frusto conical seats, means for locating said bits with respect to said seats, a member having a seat for said bit holders and provided with means for orienting said bit-holders and means for clamping said bits and holders tightly in place, a shank for mounting said member and means for clamping said member in position with respect to said shank.

3. A gang cutter for machine tools of the planer type, comprising a plurality of frusto-conical cutting bits and an equal number of bit holders pro'- vided with matching frusto-conical seats, means for locating said bits with respect to said seats,

Y said bit holders having a cylindrical external surface, a member having a cylindrical surface seat for said bit holders and provided with means for orienting said bit holders and means for clamping said bits and holders tightly in place, a shank for mounting said member and means for clamping said member in position with respect to said shank.

4. A gang cutter for machine tools of the planer type, comprising a plurality of fruSto-conical cutting bits and an equal number of bitholders provided with matching lrusto-conical seats, means for locating said bits with respect to said seats, said bit holders having a cylindricalV external surface, a member having a cylindrical surface seat for said bit holders, said cylindrical seat having a shoulder and said bit holders having a lip engageable with said shoulder to orient said bit holders with respect to said cylindrical seat, means for clamping said bit holders in position in Avsaid seat, said means exerting a turning moment to insure proper orientation of said bits with respect to their seat, means for tightly clamping said bit and bit holders axially with respect to said member, a shank for mounting said member and means for clamping said member in position with respect to said shank.

5. A gang cutter .for machine tools of the planer type, comprising a plurality of frusto-conical cutting bits and an equal number of bit holders provided with matching frust-conical seats, said bits having axial bores and said bit holders having bores axially of said seats, headed pins tting in the bore in each bit holder and the heads of said pins extending into the bores in said bits to locate said bits with respect to said bit holders, said bit holders having a cylindrical external surface, a member having a cylindrical surface seat for said bit holders and means for clamping said bits and holders tightly in place, a shank for mounting said member, and means for clamping said member in position with respect to said shank. y Y v 6. Agang cutter for machine tools of the planer type, comprising a plurality of frusto-conical cutting bits and an equal number of bit holders provided with matching Trust-conical seats, means for locating said bits with respect to said seats,

said bit holders having a cylindrical external surface, a member having a cylindrical surface seat for said bit holders, said cylindrical seat having a shoulder and said bit holders having a lip engageable with said shoulder to orient said-bit holders lwith respect to said cylindrical seat, said 6 ing said bits axially with respect to said member, a shank for mounting said member and means for clamping said member in position with respect to said shank.

JOHN M. WALTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of recordin the le of this patent:

bitholders having an outwardly sloping side op- UNITED STATES PATENTS- Number Name Date 1,458,802 Buiord June 12., 1923 2,258,163 Peters et al. Oct. 7, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date '731,892 France Sept. 9, 1932 

